FLU: We bought a mini-van for the family. Maybe it doesn't have the safety you are looking for but the design makes perfect sense, the large sliding doors on both sides especially. Maybe there is an SUV with sliding doors? I imagine we would have dinged 50 cars if it were not for the sliding doors. 3 kids can sit on one bench so we have room for grammy an pop pop. We remove one bench for trips and have lots of room for stuff. Disclaimer: Mine is not for sale.
If you don't mind me asking, what brand did you buy? I'm considering them because it's generally a larger car with practicality. I'm not thrilled about gas mileage, but the larger size is a definite plus. Is it one of the usual suspects (Sienna, oddysey, Caravan?)
I'm trying to compare the crash test results from IIHS.
Most of them do pretty well on frontal impact. But seems like minivans aren't quite tested yet for side impact or rear, except the oddysey. The oddysey is slightly pricey imho.
